Daily Herald Contributor
Prince Albert’s annual cultural extravaganza will return to the Carlton Comprehensive Public High School Cafetorium on Saturday and Sunday.
The Tapestrama Cultural Festival celebrates food, dance, and song from various cultures and customs every year. The event will be held on Sept. 28 – 29 from noon to 6:30 p.m.
“Tapestrama is a tapestry of different cultures,” organizer Sylvie Charpentier said. “That’s why its called Tapestrama. We are going to have food vendors from different cultures – Nigerian, Pakistani, Ukrainian, Filipino, First Nations, etc.
“The main attraction will be the performers. We have quite a few performers of different ethnicities in the City. At the end of Sunday, we are going to have the Mariachi Latino Band. Thats exciting for us.”
Tapestrama has been around for more than 40 years, Charpentier said. The festival portrays the heritage and culture of people who immigrated to Canada, with new artists performing every year.
The event is aimed at opening peoples eyes to show wonderful ways of getting together, she added.
“It’s for diversity,” Charpentier said. “It shows the acceptance of different cultures that are new to Canadians. We also have representation of First Nations food and drums and dancing. It’s nice for people to come and know how much diversity we have in Prince Albert.”
Tapestrama is one of several events on the community calendar as Prince Albert celebrate Culture Days. The event began with a Dakota History Walk and Talk with elder Leo Ormani at the Prince Albert Historical Museum and Little Red River Park on Saturday.
Upcoming events include an artist talk by Rob Froese at the Mann Art Gallery on Oct. 2, The Sights, Sounds, and Tastes of Africa on Oct. 10 at the YWCA Wesley, and a number of free arts programs at the Margo Fournier Arts Centre. All participants must pre-register at the City of Prince Albert website.
The City has also made public transit free from Sept. 21-22 to accommodate Culture Days.
“The City of Prince Albert is thriving with arts & culture opportunities, and we recognize their value for our enjoyment, mental health, and connection to the community,” City of Prince Albert Arts and Culture Coordinator Tia Furstenberg said. “Of the many arts and culture opportunities that organizations and artists provide all year long for our community, Culture Days allows us to offer some free to try.”
